Power Rangers: Neo Season 1
by The Writer0214
Summary: Zedd returns to threaten Earth, once more, and it is time for the new Rangers to step up to the plate. The former Rangers' sons and daughters take over. Let me know what you think. I'll continue, depending on how much you guys like it. No flames, please?
1. Episode 1: Duty and Destiny, part 1

**Power Rangers: Neo Era—Season 1**

**Disclaimer: **Saban and Disney own the Power Rangers. I don't. Do not sue me. No copyright infringement intended. I'm just an ordinary college guy who's balancing school, friends, RP, and fanfic. Lmao.

**Author's Notes:** The former Rangers are now in their 40's and their kids take over. A former Ranger is now the _new_ Zedd! Watch out for the twists and turns!

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"Tommy Oliver, you are getting old," the veteran Ranger said out loud, shaking his head, as he rose from his seat at his desk. Dr. Oliver's office was in the basement; the former headquarters of the Dino Thunder Rangers. He was heading to the first floor of the house to get something edible to eat.

Tommy was frustrated at every cracking bone he could hear. Crack! _There goes another one._

"That you are, Dad. That you are," Jacob Oliver said, smirking, as he came down the stairs, Nintendo DS in hand. Teenagers. They always love to piss off their old man.

"You better watch your tone, young man," Tommy said, raising a warning finger.

"Dad, I was just joking!" Jacob retorted, with a half laugh.

"If that's your idea of a joke, no one's gonna buy it," Braelyn Oliver interrupted, coming up behind her twin brother.

"Oh, haha! Whaddaya know?"

"Hey, I'm a good judge of humor, and you know it. That joke is _not_ in the funny list. Besides, have you no respect for the legendary White Ranger?"

Tommy looked up, shocked to hear those words from his own daughter's mouth. _How the devil did she know that?_ He had kept his days as a Ranger secret—even his Dino Thunder days. He and Haley had tried their best to keep that from them until the time was right. How did she—?

"Sorry," Braelyn said, "I couldn't help it. I got curious when I was cleaning and I found your journals."

"_My _journals?" Tommy said, shocked.

"Sorry, Dad."

"Since when have you known? When did you—?"

"Wednesday. When me and Jake were doing chores. But I've always known, I guess. Wednesday was just a confirmation of things."

"Wait! So you're saying Dad's a Power Ranger?"

"_Was_ a Power Ranger, Jacob. _Was_ a Power Ranger," Tommy said, putting a hand on his son's shoulder.

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"That he _was_, my young boy! That he _was_!" Zedd growled as he looked on, clenching and unclenching his ugly fists. _And to think he was the _greatest_ Ranger—Ugh! I hate to admit it!_

"Look at him wallowing in self-pity, M'Lord!" an uglier and mangled-looking Goldar said, with a snarl. Zedd let out an evil laugh.

"Yes, Goldar! Look at him! Behold! The legendary White Ranger, wallowing in self-pity!"

"Perhaps he blames himself for the death of the Red Ranger!" Goldar replied, with another hideous laugh.

"Ah, yes! Let's remind him of that, shall we?"

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_Flashback. Zedd's old lunar base._

"_Jason! Jason!" the voice sounded distant. It was Cole, the red Wild Force Ranger. Jason could barely hear him call. He could barely even see._

_A painful blast ripped through his body, and he fell to the ground, writhing in pain. In his now-blurred vision, he could make out three Rangers coming towards him. Or was it the enemy? No, it couldn't be. It must've been his comrades coming to his aid. But where was Tommy? Cole. Andros. TJ. Where was he? Where was Tommy?_

"_Jason!" the cry pierced the atmosphere. It was Tommy. He had been somewhere fighting off the villains when he heard Cole calling for Jason._

_Tommy attempted to block another attack, ran in the direction of the little group huddled around Jason, tumbled and fell, got up once more, and ran to where Jason and the others were located._

"_Jason! It's me, man. Tommy. Just hang on, bro!" Tommy said, his throat racked with pain, "Remember? Once a Ranger, always a Ranger. You _can't_ keep a good Ranger down! You have to fight this..."_

"_Tommy," Jason said, his voice guttural, "Tommy—"_

_He let go of Tommy's hand. Jason died a Ranger. Fighting for Earth. A hero to the very end. And while the Rangers mourned for a comrade and the world mourned for a hero and a protector, Tommy mourned for a friend. A brother._

"_Jason! Jason!" he screamed._

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"Go! Go! Go! Gee whiz, Edmund! Hurry up!" Adam Park hollered to his son, as they jogged up the trail.

"Dad," the young man replied, panting, "I—I can't—I can't keep up..."

"Yes, you can! Now, go! Faster! You've only gone one and a half miles, for Christ's sake! Our agreement was three miles, everyday..."

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"_Jason! Jason!" the scream seemed distant, now. Yet it rang in the evil overlord's ears like unwanted music. "Jason!"_

"No! Stop! Stop it! Make it stop!" Zedd growled, taking his simian-like henchman by surprise. He placed his hands on the creature's neck, strangling him. Finally letting go, he turned away from Goldar and turned to face the rest of his evil council. He sat wearily on his throne.

"_Jason!" the voice once again rang in his ears. That voice!_ Tommy's voice! Why was he hearing Tommy's voice in his head?

"Shall I create a monster for you, Your Evilness?" the newly-resurrected Finster asked.

"No! Not yet. Wait a bit. Goldar, Rito, take the Tengas with you and bring me the former Black Ranger and his son!"

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"That girl is such a bitch!" Braelyn Oliver spat, angrily, as she walked with her best friend Rockford deSantos to Angel Grove Recreational Park.

"Tell me about it!" Rockford said, with a smirk, "I heard you got into another fight?"

"Hell yeah! She deserves to be slapped!"

"I heard you almost tore her hair."

"After stealing Noah from me? Hmph! She deserves more than that!"

"Speaking of the Devil," Rockford said, sarcastically, as Dawn Hart passed by.

"Bitch!" Dawn hollered.

"Who's the bitch? You're the bitch! You stole Noah from me! You don't really love him. You just wanted to hurt me, didn't you? _Didn't you?_ Now you've got what you want! Happy?"

"Hey, hey, hey! Chillax, girl. Simmer down. We're attracting attention out here," Rockford said, trying to hold Braelyn back.

"Hell, I'd attract attention anytime! Now, come on! Wanna have another catfight? Let's see what you got!" Dawn snarled.

"Put a lid on it, bitch!" Rockford said, pointing an accusatory finger at Dawn.

"I'll be back," Dawn replied, her voice coarse and low.

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"Tengas, front and center!" Goldar snarled, as he, Rito, and the Tenga warriors materialized before Adam and his son Edmund.

"Dad! What are those?"

"Tengas," Adam replied through gritted teeth, "But how? That's impossible! You guys died when Zordon did!"

"Think again, Black Ranger! You think we can be destroyed that easily? Tengas, attack!" Goldar said, as the Tengas circled father and son.

"Dad..."

"Just fight like I taught you!"

"But Dad..." Edmund Park protested, as he dodged a blow from a Tenga Warrior.

"Just fight!" Adam scolded his son, then added tenderly, "And may the Power protect you..."

Taking his father's admonition—and encouragement—to heart, the young man fought, bravely.

"Dad! Behind you!" Edmund said, as a Tenga prepared to strike from behind. Adam dodged the blow and gave it a kick, sending the creature flying backwards, causing it to hit a tree. With a kick and a punch, Edmund Park sent the last Tenga flying.

But all was not over. There was Rito and Goldar. The giant simian gave out a vile laugh as he moved to strike. Adam couldn't dodge the blow in time.

"Dad! Dad! No!" Edmund screamed, as he watched Rito Revolto and Goldar capture his father.

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Angel Grove Recreational Park.

"I can't belief that bitch—" Braelyn said, trying her best to keep it cool. How could she keep it cool when she was so hurt? Dawn Hart, the most popular girl in school, had just stolen her boyfriend from her.

She was crying, now.

"Hey, hey, hey! Whoa! Whoa! Hold on, girl. What's with the waterworks?"

Silence.

"C'mon... There are other fish in the sea."

Rockford deSantos tried his best to comfort his best friend—his sister. She was closer to him than she was to her twin brother Jacob.

Braelyn sniffed, wiped her tears, and squeezed her best friend's hand.

"Thank you," she said, softly, "Thank you for being here."

"Hey, what are friends for, right?"

Braelyn smiled. The first smile she had ever shown in weeks.

"See? I made you smile, didn't I?" Rockford said, beaming. He was happy to see her smile after weeks of waterworks.

She shook her head, and her smile broadened.

"Silly goose!" Braelyn shook her head, shoving Rockford, playfully, "You didn't make me smile. He did."

She pointed to a cute dirty-blond-haired kid with glasses and wearing overalls.

"Him?" Rockford said, stifling a laugh.

"What! Don't you think he's cute? Besides, he might be better than _you-know-who_," Braelyn said, making it obvious that she was talking about her ex-boyfriend Noah.

"Just...forget about him, will you? We guys are still young. There'll be plenty of time for that."

"I...guess..."

Then, Braelyn and Rockford watched as Peter Cranston sat on a park bench, set his books aside, and strummed his guitar. One of his favorite songs. Brad Paisley and Allison Krauss's "Whiskey Lullaby."

Rockford and Braelyn sat on the bench, one on each side.

"Good voice you've got there," Rockford said with an amiable smile.

"Gee, thanks," Peter said, setting his guitar aside and pushing his glasses up his nose.

"I love that song," Rockford said.

"Really?"

"Yeah! One of my favorites. By the way, name's Rockford."

"Peter," Peter said, shaking Rockford's hand.

"I'm Braelyn," Braelyn Oliver said, smiling.

"Yo! Hick!" came a familiar voice, "Why don't you take that stupid guitar, go back to your farm, and—" Familiar both to Braelyn and Rockford. Noah.

"What are you doing here?" Braelyn said, her eyes narrowing.

"Yeah! What are you guys doing here? What do you want, bub?"

"I just came to talk to my girlfriend."

"Excuse me?" Braelyn said, with a laugh, "Girlfriend? The last time I checked you're girlfriend was _Dawn Hart!_"

"Aw, c'mon, baby...please..."

"Go away!"

"Not until we've talked." Noah grabbed Braelyn's wrist.

"Ow! Let go of me! We have _nothing_ to talk about!"

"You heard her! There's nothing to talk about!" Rockford said, standing up, his fist tightened into a ball.

"Oh yeah? And what are you gonna do?"

"This," Rockford said, as he sent his fist flying in Noah's face. A fight ensued.

"Stay out of this, punk!"

"You stay away from Braelyn and Peter and I'll stay out of this!"

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Edmund Park stood there, dumbfounded, wheezing, wondering where in the world could they taken his dad.

"Dad? Dad!" he called, "Where are you?"

No answer.

"Dad?"

Then, Edmund had decided to run down the hill, find the nearest police station, and report his dad's abduction.

_What am I gonna say? He was kidnapped by aliens? Jesus! No sane person in the world is ever gonna believe me..._

Just then, he ran into Rockford, Braelyn and Peter.

"Whoa! Park! Slow down, man!" Rockford said.

Edmund stopped, inches from the trio.

"Guys, my dad's been captured!"

"By whom?" Braelyn asked.

"You won't believe this. There was this guy who looked like a skeleton and had camouflage—like an army guy. And a huge ape covered in gold armor."

"Dude, you've been watching too much of Sci-Fi Channel."

"What if he's right?"

"That's why they call you a geek, Cranston."

"_I am_ right!"

"What did you smoke?"

"Shut up, man! I'm serious!"

"Okay, okay! Let's not panic here."

"We'll go to my place and figure this out," Braelyn said.

"I'm in," Peter Cranston said, "This may turn out to be interesting."

Braelyn stomped on Rockford's foot.

"Alright, alright! Jeez! Cool it! I'm in."

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Dr. Oliver's basement.

"You're saying your dad got captured by aliens? Nice story," Jacob Oliver said, with a smirk.

"Shut up, Jacob," Tommy said, coolly, "Not only is it possible, not only is it probable, it is true."

Silence fell on the room, as Tommy Oliver, paleontologist, teacher, white knight, and Power Ranger extraordinaire uttered these words. It is true.

"You said one of them looked like a monstrous ape?" Tommy said, directing the question towards Adam's son.

"A huge one. With gold armor."

Tommy snarled, "Goldar," and clenched his fists.

"You know them?"

"Know? I not only know them, I _detest_ them! We _will_ rescue your dad. Make no mistake about it."

"Wh—who are they? And why do they have Dad?"

"Because like me, your dad was a Power Ranger."

Silence.

"We've anticipated this, long ago. We feared that Zedd would return, more evil than ever. My associate and ex-wife Haley, Dr. William Cranston, four of my former students—who were also Rangers—and I, decided to reconstruct all the arsenal of the long-gone Power Rangers.

"We travelled to Phaedos, Aquitar, Eltar, and Edenoi—planets in galaxies faraway—acquiring knowledge and rebuilding the Zords of the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers and the Ninjetti. Guided by Zordon's spirit, and by Dulcea and Ninjor, we completed the task, and returned to Earth with the arsenal ready for use.

"But it was years before Zedd would return. And the appearance of his minions is a sign. He has returned."

Even the sarcastic Jacob Oliver and Rockford deSantos were silent.

"What do we do now?" Edmund asked.

"Ready to save the world?" Tommy said with a grin, as he pressed a button on a remote. A panel on the wall slid open to reveal replicas of the uniform of the Power Rangers. White. Black. Pink. Blue. Red. Yellow.

Another silence.

The silence was broken by Tommy's son Jacob.

"Let's save the world!"

"That's more like it."

Tommy gave each of them two coins. One containing the Ninjetti powers. To Jacob, he gave the Tigerzord and Falcon power coins. To Edmund, he gave the Mastodon and Frog power coins. To Peter, he gave the Triceratops and Wolf power coins. To Braelyn, he gave the Saber-toothed Tiger and Bear power coins. And to Rockford, he gave the Tyrannosaurus and Ape power coins.

"Any magic words to make these work?" Rockford said?

"Call the name of the creature inscribed on your coin. Use the first set of coins. But keep the second set. These coins contain the Ninjetti powers. You may need to use them later."

"Alright! Tigerzord!" Jacob shouted.

"Mastodon!"

"Triceratops!"

"Saber-toothed Tiger!"

"Tyrannosaurus!"

"Alright, people," Jacob Oliver said, taking command, "Let's save the world!"

Tommy raised a warning finger.

"One more thing. There are three cardinal rules for a Power Ranger. Never use the Power for personal gain, never escalate a battle unless Zedd forces you, and never let on that you are a Power Ranger. Keep this in mind, and may the Power protect you."

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"That's what you think, Power Rangers! You won't be able to save the world! Much less the former black Ranger!" Zedd said, with a laugh.

"You're wrong, Zedd!" Adam protested, trying to break free from the bonds that held him, "You'll never win! You already lost!"

"Silence, puny human! I shall crush you and them with my power!"

Another evil laugh.

"What power?" Adam said, sarcastically.

"Silence!"

Zedd pointed his staff at the former Ranger, sending shockwaves of pain through his body. Adam screamed. Zedd's lackeys laughed.

"They're on their way, Zedd! Count on it!"

"Not if I can delay them, first!"

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_To be continued......_


	2. Episode 2: Duty and Destiny, part 2

**Author's notes:** When I reread my story, I found I made a blunder. Tommy's basement—the old headquarters of the Dino Thunder Rangers—was in Reefside, and I accidentally placed it in Angel Grove. Well, since this is AU, maybe you could just pretend it was a reconstruction of his house in Reefside? Hey, it's AU, right?

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_Last time on Power Rangers..._

_Zedd had the former Black Ranger abducted, leaving the young Edmund confused and panicky. Dr. Tommy Oliver gave Edmund and his friends the arsenal of the Power Rangers for them to save the world and rescue the former Black Ranger. But will they be able to rescue Adam in time? Or will Zedd delay their arrival? Stay tuned for the next episode of Power Rangers Neo Era!_

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"Where do we start our search?" Rockford asked.

"I've checked Adam's coordinates, but I couldn't trace them. I've called Dr. Cranston and he said the same thing. We suspect that Adam is in Zedd's lunar base, or in Rita Repulsa's dark dimension, which would explain why we couldn't trace him. We're doing everything we can," Tommy said.

Behind his helmet, Peter Cranston was beaming and proud. Proud that his dad was once a Power Ranger, proud to be the son of a Ranger, and proud to be a Ranger, himself.

"Where do we start our search, then?"

"Wait, guys! Something just came up!" Peter said, excitedly, "Looks like we're picking up the scent! An old, abandoned warehouse! Is that him, Dr. Oliver?"

"We've traced his coordinates! But there is a possibility that it's a trap."

"What if it's a trap?" Edmund asked.

"Then it's a risk we'll have to take," Braelyn said.

"Let's go!" Jacob commanded. And in a flash of blue, white, black, yellow, and red streaks of light and energy, they were gone.

Tommy breathed a prayer, "May the Power protect you."

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The Rangers teleported to an old abandoned warehouse, where they were in for a big surprise. As they arrived, there stood the former Black Ranger—behind him a squad of Puggs—a hybrid of Zedd and Rita's putties and the Machine Empire's Cogs, Tengu Warriors, and Goldar and Rito.

"It's a trap!" Edmund said.

"Looks like you've come just in time, Rangers!" Adam said, his voice changed, different. The twins looked at each other, nodded, and gave each other a thumbs up.

"Let's get this party started," Jacob said, sarcastically, as he and his twin sister positioned themselves to fight.

_I hope I remember last summer's karate lessons_, Braelyn thought.

After the White and Yellow Rangers advanced, kata in mind, the others followed suit. They formed a semicircle, prepared to fight, each adopting their own stance.

"Let's do this," Peter said.

"Wait!" Edmund said, before the others could fight, "That's my dad! We can't hurt him."

"What do you mean that's your dad?" Rockford said, irritated, "He's an evil version of your dad! You think the Black Ranger was evil?"

"That's it, Son! Fear me!" Adam said, with a laugh, "Putties, front and center!"

The Puggs attacked, and the Rangers fought.

"Cranston!" Rockford said, "Behind you!"

Peter ducked, regained his posture, and gave the offending Putty a kick to the chin, then a blow to the shoulder with the use of his elbows. A Putty swung his foot, hitting the Blue Ranger on the ankle. Peter was thrown off-balance.

"Peter!" Braelyn screamed.

Jacob helped Peter up, and kicked a Putty and elbowed another.

"You alright?" the White Ranger asked the Blue.

"I'm fine," Peter replied, fighting off another Putty.

The rest of the squad—the Tengus—joined in the fray.

"Your target is the Red, and White Rangers!" Goldar commanded.

_But why?_ Braelyn Oliver asked herself, _Is it because Dad was the legendary White Ranger and Jacob is his son? Then why not target me? And why Rockford?_

The Yellow Ranger was distracted. A Tengu grabbed her from behind, and three blasts came—one from in front of the creature, and two from behind.

"Braelyn!" Tommy shouted.

"Dad?"

There, Tommy was, with Billy, and the sixth member of the Power Rangers. The sixth Ranger joined in the fray, running towards the outnumbered Rangers. She leaped into the air, taking down three Tengus at a time.

"Let go of her!" the Pink Ranger said.

_I know that voice!_ Braelyn thought. But she would have to concentrate on the fight first, before she could confront the newly inducted member of the Power Rangers.

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"Blast those Power Rangers!" Zedd growled as he watched the battle below, "They got to the Pink Ranger, first!"

A pause.

"Bah! I don't need to fret over that! There is another way! Yes, of course!"

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The battle raged on, and many Puggs and Tengus were eliminated. The last to leave were the evil Black Ranger, Goldar, and Rito.

"Come back here, you cowards!" Tommy screamed.

"Man, what a fight," Rockford said, out of breath.

"They were targeting us. Of all of us, they were giving Rock and me the hardest time...ever," Jacob said.

"I wonder why," Tommy said.

"You guys better teleport back to base and regroup," Billy said, "They may be back."

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"Yes, they will, Blue Ranger! Yes, they will! Putties, bring me the Pink Ranger!"

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Back at the Olivers' basement...

"_You?!_" Rockford, Jacob, and Braelyn said in unison, astonished, as the Pink Ranger removed her helmet.

"Yes, it's me. Got a problem?" Dawn Hart said, coldly.

"Watch. Your tongue. Bitch," Jacob said, gritting his teeth.

"Hey! Cool it! Your job is to save the world. You can deal with personal problems, later," Tommy said, "Don't let this get in the way."

"But Dad—" just one look from Tommy was enough to silence the girl.

"You know what? Forget it!" Dawn said, "This whole thing's a joke, anyway. I'm outta here."

"Just where do you think you're going?" Edmund said, angrily. His dad was being used as a pawn by some alien invaders, and they were supposed to be saving his dad and the entire planet, and here they were, fighting over something as petty as cheating and breakups. He was angry.

"I'm leaving," Dawn said, with a shake of her head, "I'm outta here."

"Fine," Edmund said, "Go your own way! Who needs you, anyway?"

"Bitch!" Braelyn shouted, as Dawn left.

"Braelyn Kate Oliver!" Tommy scolded.

Silence.

"Now," Tommy said, trying to calm down, "let's get back on track. We now know that Zedd has Adam in his clutches and has turned him evil. What else do we know?"

"The Sword of Darkness?" Braelyn suggested, proving to Tommy that she, indeed, had read his journals. Smart girl. Everyone looked at Braelyn.

"What sword?" Jacob said.

"I was once the evil Green Ranger, and Rita Repulsa gave me a sword that took control of me. Her spell could only be broken if the sword was destroyed. But no, Braelyn, that's impossible. The Red Ranger had already destroyed that sword," Tommy said, smiling at his daughter.

"Maybe Zedd could have re-forged it?"

"Highly unlikely," Billy said, "Did you see any sword in Adam's hand when you guys were battling?"

"We didn't observe," Edmund said, "Maybe he didn't have one."

"How about that volcano?" Jacob said. They all looked at him.

"Hey, I was just following her example by reading the journals."

"That could be possible," Tommy said.

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As Dawn Hart walked—trudged—home, a squad of Putties materialized before her eyes. There was nothing she could do. She had lost interest in this whole business ever since she discovered who her fellow Rangers were. She was still angry. She still hated Braelyn.

She tried to fight, tried to remember all the gymnastics lessons she had, but to no avail. She ran back to the Olivers, but not in time. She tripped on a log, and fell to the ground, scraping her knees and shin.

_Wow! You sure will make it to the Olympics, one day! Mom's gonna be so proud!_ she thought, scolding herself.

Just then, two Putties grabbed her, and in an instant, she had vanished along with them.

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"Where's Peter?" Jacob asked, suddenly. Nobody had noticed that he was gone.

"Yeah, where is he?" Rockford said, looking around, "Anyone seen him?" They all shook their heads.

"Where in the hell could he have gone to?"

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"That's right, my little precious! Come to me!" the evil overlord said, with a sinister laugh, as Dawn hesitantly approached. She was scared.

_Idiot! I should never have had that fight with Braelyn! I shouldn't even have stolen her boyfriend, in the first place._

Lord Zedd cupped the girl's chin. She was shaking.

"Take your filthy hands off me, you monstrous beast!" Dawn spat.

"Silence! You shall serve me, you little fool!" Zedd said with a growl, as he tightened his grip on the girl's jaw, almost crushing it. Dawn Hart squirmed and groaned, endeavoring to escape Zedd's grasp.

"I'll never join you! My duty is to be a Power Ranger! I _was_ called! I _am_ called!"

"Your duty? You fool! Your destiny is to be their enemy! Destiny takes precedence over duty!"

_Yes, even those whom heaven has fated to be your friends!_

"Let go of me!"

Zedd released her from his grasp. Dawn Hart smiled, dusted her skirt, and said, "Since you put it _that way_—"

"That's my girl," the overlord said, with another of his sinister laughs.

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Peter ran as fast as he could, and as far as his long, agile limbs could carry him. _The wolf_, he thought, as he ran, _Cunning and swift_...

Finally, he came to the very spot where Dawn Hart was, before her abduction. _Not too fast, apparently._

_Another abduction. First, Park's dad, now Dawn?_ He noticed a piece of torn checkered cloth, and realized it was from Dawn's skirt. Then, a pink and white Reebok. There was only one. _She must've fought, then...or struggled..._

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"Guys! Guys!" Peter said, as he ran up to the teenagers, minus the adults, at Angel Grove Park where they had decided to regroup and plan.

"Peter?" Braelyn said, relieved, "Where've you been? We were looking all over for you."

"I followed Dawn. Or at least tried to."

"And?" Jacob and Rockford said, simultaneously.

"I found this," Peter said, showing them the torn piece of cloth from Dawn's skirt, and her Reebok.

"She's been abducted? Again? Now what?" Edmund said.

"It was her fault," Braelyn scoffed.

"Brae," Jacob said, "This is no time to blame her or hate her. Okay? You heard Dad. If Zedd gets to her, he might turn her against us. We have to get to her before Zedd does."

"You're right," Braelyn said, "I'm sorry. Any plans?"

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"Now, Black Ranger! You have fought bravely and served your purpose! But not so well... And now that I have the Pink Ranger, I shall have no more need of you... How pathetic... Goldar, you know what to do..."

"Yes, Master!"

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Meanwhile...

"Guys!" Peter said, pointing in the distance, "There she is!" As he was speaking, Dawn approached, bloody, wounded, limping. She had only one shoe.

"Dawn! Are you alright?" Rockford said. Surprisingly, he was soft towards her, now.

"I'm fine," Dawn said, wheezing, "Just...out of...breath."

"What happened?"

"Those guys were tough. I fought them off. I'm so sorry I acted like that. And Braelyn, I'm sorry for all the pain I've caused you."

"Hmph!" was all Braelyn could say, and looked the other direction.

"Braelyn Kate Oliver!" Jacob scolded.

Braelyn scowled at him.

"Will you give me that?!" Dawn said, this time, to Peter, as she snatched her missing shoe from him. Her eyes flashed red for a few seconds, then, appeared normal.

"Hey! Ow!"

"What in the holy hell did you do that for?" Edmund demanded.

"None of your beeswax, Confucius!" her eyes glinted red, again, "Now, are we gonna plan our next move or not?"

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Adam screamed in pain as he tried to free himself from the manacles that held him. With each attempt to escape, wave upon wave of electricity tore through his body, while Goldar laughed in pleasure, apparently enjoying himself. The monstrous simian curled his fist into a ball and punched the already-weakened former Black Ranger in the gut.

Adam flinched, causing the electric reaction.

He screamed in pain.

"Had enough, Black Ranger? Well that's too bad! 'Cause I haven't had enough yet!"

He laughed, again.

Again, he punched Adam in the gut. He tried to break free, knowing full well that it would generate the electric shockwave that was already sapping too much of his energy.

"You'll never win, Goldar!" he said, as he strained. A scream. "You and your master will never win!"

Another painful scream.

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Meanwhile, Zedd created a monster to attack Angel Grove.

"Yes! That's it, my Princess! My spy! Act like you're one of them! And while those puny Power Brats are planning, I'll take them by surprise! And Earth will be mine!"

An evil laugh.

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There came the familiar beep of the communicators. Billy had repaired them and upgraded them, and now, gave it to the young ones. The new Rangers. Earth's new hope.

"Dad? What is it?" Peter said, as he spoke into the communicator.

"Any developments on Dawn?"

"Yeah. She's here, now. We found her. Or rather, she found us."

"Good. Now, hurry! Trouble at Angel Grove Stadium!"

"One of Zedd's—whoever he is—is it one of Zedd's monsters?"

"Affirmative! Now, go! And may the Power protect you."

"Alright! Over and out!"

Rockford nodded to the twins, and the twins nodded to each other.

"Alright," Rockford said, "It's Morphin time!"

"Tigerzord!"

"Mastodon!"

"Pterodactyl!"

"Triceratops!"

"Saber-toothed Tiger!"

"Tyrannosaurus!"

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

"Go! Go! Go! Get out of here! Hurry!" the White Ranger shouted, as people ran helter-skelter. Fans. Visitors and home team, alike. It was mayhem.

The monster was a combination of Angel Grove's mascot and every sport equipment known to the athletic world.

"Go! Braelyn!" the Red Ranger instructed, "Get them to safety! We'll take care of this! Now, go!"

The Pink and Yellow Rangers helped the people to safety.

"What are you doing here? Get back there!" the Yellow Ranger screamed.

"What's wrong with helping out? Aren't I a part of the team?!"

"Gals! Hurry!" the Blue Ranger hollered, "We can't hold him off any longer!"

"_I_ was instructed to help these people out!"

"There is _no_ 'I' in team! Now, if you please? We've got people to save! Forget about Noah!"

Braelyn wanted to slap Dawn. But she knew she couldn't. Dawn was right. They had people to save. Her better judgment told her to set aside personal problems until after the battle.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

"Looks like you're on the losing team, Power Rangers," the Chimera said, as he taunted the heroes.

"Ha! That's we're you're wrong!" the Black Ranger said.

"Yeah! We'll beat you two-to-one!"

And the battled continued. The Chimera fired at the Rangers, shooting out dozens of exploding tennis balls.

"Duck!" the Blue Ranger said, as he made a somersault to dodge their opponent's blasts.

The others tried to dodge the monster's blasts, but to no avail. The Chimera released a rain of footballs—no ordinary ones; hard as steel. The Rangers were thrown back with such force.

"Man, this guy is tough to beat!" complained the Red Ranger.

"Not if we can help it," the White Ranger said, through gritted teeth.

"The best defense is a good offense, guys!" the Black Ranger said, "Let's blast him!"

"Tsk! Tsk! Tsk! Not so fast, Rangers!" And before our heroes could fire their blasters, the Chimera released a hail of baseballs, and white smoke enveloped them, making it hard for them to see. The Rangers couldn't fire.

"Damn it! I can't see!" the White Ranger said. The Red Ranger swore.

As the smokescreen subsided, the heroes noticed that the Chimera was gone. The Red Ranger swore again.

"Did we destroy him?" the Blue Ranger asked.

"I don't think so," the White Ranger said.

A sickening laugh.

The Rangers turned to see the Chimera behind them.

"There he is," the Black Ranger said.

"Not so fast, Rangers!" It wasn't the Chimera's voice. To our heroes' astonishment, it was the Pink Ranger, standing beside the Chimera, flute in hand. It was not the flute of the legendary Green Ranger—not the Dragon Dagger. It was an ordinary looking flute that cast a spell on anyone when played.

"Dawn! What are you doing?!" the Blue Ranger said.

"I'm helping the Chimera destroy you, you little fools!" she said with a laugh, "Destiny takes precedence over duty! My _duty_ is to be a Ranger, but my _destiny_ is to serve Zedd!"

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

_To be continued..._


	3. Episode 3: Duty and Destiny, part 3

_Last time on Power Rangers..._

_Zedd created a monster to destroy our heroes and conquer Earth! But the Pink Ranger has turned bad! Will our heroes be able to defeat the Chimera and the evil Pink Ranger? Or will the Pink Ranger destroy them all? Stay tuned on Power Rangers Neo!_

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

"Dawn! No!" the Blue Ranger said, as if reaching out for the Pink Ranger, "Dawn! What are you doing?!"

"Traitor!" the Black Ranger hissed.

"Bitch!" the Yellow Ranger hollered.

"Just what do you think you're doing?!" the Red Ranger shouted.

The evil Pink Ranger let out an ugly, evil laugh.

"I'm going to destroy you, you little fools! I serve my Lord Zedd!"

Another evil laugh. Then, high-pitched music pierced the air, music coming from a flute.

"Ugh!" the Blue Ranger said, "What...is...that?"

The Red Ranger gripped his helmet, as if to cover his ears to block off the sound. But of course, it was to no avail.

"It's," the Black Ranger said, trying to get up off his knees, "It's...a magical...flute..."

"Must...fight it..." the Blue Ranger said, weakly, sinking to his knees.

The Pink Ranger played on. Zedd's monster made a bow.

"Allow me to make an exit, Dearest, while I destroy Angel Grove!"

A nod from the Pink Ranger. A laugh. And the Chimera was off, in a flash, on a mission to destroy Angel Grove. Zedd made it grow, and the monster went on a rampage, wreaking havoc on the city.

"Must...stop...bitch..." the Yellow Ranger said with much difficulty, dropping to the ground. In a moment, she was fast asleep. Next to drop was the Red Ranger. Then the Blue. Then came the Black Ranger.

"Can't...fight..."

Thud.

"You'll pay for this, Dawn!" the White Ranger said, clenching his fists. He was the last one standing.

The music stopped.

"We'll see about that, White Ranger! You're strong, obviously! But not strong enough! With how weak you are, will you be able to pilot your Zord? I. Don't. Think so."

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Everywhere in Angel Grove, people ran helter-skelter, trying to escape the terror. The Chimera launched a barrage of exploding tennis balls, golf balls, and steel footballs, destroying everything in its path. Demolishing buildings. Setting properties on fire. Destroying vehicles. Angel Grove, it seemed, was doomed.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

"Dad! Dr. Cranston! Mayday! Mayday! Respond!" Jacob said into the communicator.

"Jacob! Where are you?" Tommy responded.

"I'm at Angel Grove Stadium."

"_You? What do you mean you?_ Where are the others?"

"The Pink Ranger cast a spell on us. Dad, Zedd got to her, apparently. It's left us weak—all of us—including me. And I can't shake these guys awake. It seems to be some sort of spell."

"Wait, what?! Alright. Billy and I will teleport you guys back here."

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

"Dad, what's happened to them?" Jacob said, his voice shaking with worry.

"We don't know yet. It must be a sleeping spell," Tommy said.

"I've checked their vitals, and thankfully, they're okay," Billy added.

Jacob breathed a sigh of relief.

"But," Tommy said, raising a warning finger, "If they stay asleep too long, they may not be able to make it."

Jacob's face turned a shade paler.

"Isn't there something we could do?"

"There may be a way," Billy said, after being deep in thought.

"What way?"

"I may be able to probe their minds and bring them out of their sleep through the use of telepathy. I will attempt to establish a mind like with them. I will start with Peter, as I can feel a very strong link."

Billy placed both his hands on his son's temples and closed his eyes. In a moment, Billy looked as though he were asleep.

"Is he asleep?" Jacob asked Tommy.

"No, he's awake. I've seen this before. He's trying to establish a telepathic link with Peter."

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

It was a dark place, and Billy wondered where he was. He called, "Peter?! Peter! Are you there?! Hello?! Can you hear me?"

"Dad?! Dad!" came the voice.

"Peter?! Where are you?!"

"I don't know!"

Billy whirled around. It was still dark and he could see nothing. Where in the world was he? It certainly wasn't Rita's dark dimension.

"Peter?! Peter!"

"I'm here, Dad!"

Billy whirled round again. The voice—so distant—seemed to be closer, now. If only he could follow the direction where Peter's voice came from.

He knew, at least, that the link was successful enough. Now he had only to follow the voice.

"Peter?! Peter! Where are you?"

"Dad! Over here! You're...getting...closer!" the voice seemed strained, as though Peter were struggling.

Struggling?

The thought alarmed Billy.

Struggling to what?

To hold on—he knew.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

"Dad, how long is this gonna take?"

"Until Billy can pull Peter out of his sleep."

Jacob paced the room nervously.

"Dad, I'm a Ranger. It's my duty to protect mankind. And I can't stand here, waiting, while I know Angel Grove is being destroyed."

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

"Strike one!" the White Ranger said, as he soared over the Angel Grove skyline, his Falconzord winging its way majestically through the air.

"Strike two!" he said, as he circled the now-gigantic Chimera.

"Strike three! You're out!" he said, as he swooped down for the kill, firing at the monster.

"Ooh! Look who's not being a good sport," the Chimera teased.

The White Ranger only smirked. He fired once more at the Chimera, sending it falling backwards.

The White Ranger laughed and teased a bit, "If you're that clumsy, it's a good thing you're not on my team!"

The White Ranger fired again.

This time, the Chimera fired back. The White Ranger moved out of the way of danger, dodging the explosive tennis ball. He fired again.

"Outside!" the White Ranger teased.

This time, the Chimera was furious. He sent a steel football flying in the Falconzord's trajectory.

Again, the White Ranger dodged.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

"Dad!" Peter said, happy to see the former Blue Ranger. Billy ran over to his son, then stopped short. There, Peter was, hanging on with one hand. He was on a cliff. Beneath him, flowing molten lava, glowing red, yellow, and orange.

"Dad," he said, struggling, "It's...a good...thing...you came...in time..."

Billy gripped Peter's free arm as he thrust it upwards for him to grab onto. Billy pulled with all his might, and Peter pushed himself up with an effort.

As soon as he was on safe and solid ground, Peter flung himself on his dad and threw his neck around him.

"Dad!" he said, "I thought you'd never come. How did—how did you find me?"

Billy tapped his temple.

"I knew."

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Fire after fire, the White Ranger dodged the Chimera's attacks. Then, suddenly, without warning, the Falconzord dived, attempting to tackle the Chimera with either its beak or with its talons.

The monster fell back, and the White Ranger fired as close as possible. But just when he thought the Chimera would explode, the White Ranger was wrong. He was mistaken.

"You're a pretty tough guy, aren't ya?"

"Takes one to know one," the Chimera teased.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Billy and Peter both opened their eyes at the same time to discover they were back at the Olivers' basement.

"Billy!" Tommy greeted as they embraced, "Welcome back! And welcome back, Peter."

Peter acknowledged the legendary Ranger's greeting with a nod and a smile.

"Where's Jacob?"

"He went off to battle Zedd's monster."

"May the Power protect him," Billy said.

"Now, go! Jacob needs your help. At least there would be two of you fighting."

"I dare defy your orders, Dr. Oliver."

Billy and Tommy each cocked an eyebrow.

"I am more needed here. Dad may be able to create a telepathic link, but wouldn't it be bad if he exhausted himself? Two heads are better than one."

"Good thinking," the two former Rangers said, in unison.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

This was a dark place, too. The Blue Ranger didn't know where he was. But he was sure he could feel the ground beneath him. Soft. Wet. Muddy. He wondered if this was a trap—if any minute, the ground would open and swallow him, or he would fall into some quicksand. Or if he would get stuck in the muddy soil. Or was he already inside Braelyn's mind? Had the link worked? He hoped so.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

All around, buildings and vehicles exploded, hills and mountains eroded, structures collapsed, trees were felled.

_The others better be here soon, 'cause I'm gettin' pretty tired of this game_, the White Ranger thought to himself.

The Chimera was tough. He wouldn't back down.

Neither would the White Ranger.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The Blue Ranger knew the link had worked. He could sense his fellow Ranger was somewhere near, although it was rather faint.

Suddenly, there was movement. Was it her? No, it couldn't have been her.

_Putties!_ the Blue Ranger thought, with a gulp.

"Alright," he said, confidently, "I can take you guys down."

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

"Billy," Tommy asked, "Any progress?"

"No. Nothing," the former Blue Ranger said, with a shake of his head, "It's still the same. Vital signs are okay, which means they're still alive. But it gets weak, from time to time."

"Let's just hope they make it."

"I'll try to work on either Edmund or Rocky, while Peter is working on Braelyn."

"Good idea."

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The Blue Ranger fought furiously. Putty or no Putty, he had to rescue Braelyn.

"Braelyn?! Braelyn!" he called, "I'm coming for you!"

He kept up the fight, even though a dozen Putties circled him and he felt like his legs would give out and his knees buckle.

_I've gotta get to her_, he thought desperately.

And just like that, the Putties vanished.

The Blue Ranger ran and ran, not knowing where he was or where Braelyn was. He didn't even know where he was going. But he could sense her.

Somehow, he was getting closer.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

"Hail, Mary, full of grace; the Lord is with thee... Blessed art thou amongst women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb Jesus... Holy Mary, Mother of God..." Rockford deSantos prayed, as he hung on for dear life.

Suddenly...

"Rocky?! Rocky!"

"Who's there?!"

"It's me! Dr. Cranston!"

_Peter's dad?_ Rockford thought, _What's he doing in my dream? I'm dreaming, right?_

"Dr. Cranston! Over here!" Rockford shouted.

There, the kid was, holding on with both his hands. It was a similar precipice as that from which Peter Cranston had been rescued. But instead of hot molten, glowing lava, there was nothing but utter darkness down below.

Rockford's right hand began to slip.

"Holy Mary, Mother of God... Pray for us sinners..."

His fingers continued to slip.

"Now... and in... the hour... of our death..."

Suddenly, a hand pulled him up out of the canyon. A force pulled him out of the darkness.

"Amen!" he shouted, then, he breathed, "Thank you, Jesus."

Billy Cranston chuckled.

"Sorry, Doc. But ya gotta have faith when you're in a place like that."

"I couldn't have said it any better, myself. By the way... How did you end up here? I've talked to Peter—I found him in the same situation—and he doesn't know how he ended up there."

"I dunno," Rockford said with a shrug, "Beats me. All I know is...we were fighting the monster, then the Pink Ranger turned against us and played a flute. Next thing I know, I was there..."

He pointed to the dark ravine.

"C'mon," Billy said, "We gotta get out of here."

"You said it."

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

"Braelyn! Braelyn! Braelyn!" the Blue Ranger called. He stopped dead in his tracks. He was getting closer. He could sense Braelyn. But there was one problem...

_Spider!_ he thought with a gulp, _Ugh! G-d, I hate spiders!_

Before him was a crystalline coffin. Inside lay the sleeping Braelyn Oliver. But protecting the coffin was a giant cobweb, droplets of dew sticking to it, a giant spider lying in wait for his prey.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

"Hey!" the Red Ranger said, as he piloted his Ape Zord, "Looks to me like you're having all the fun!"

"Yeah, I'm glad to see you, too," the White Ranger said, sarcastically, "Now, let's get down to business."

The Red Ranger gave the White Ranger a thumbs up and attacked the Chimera.

"Chimera, meet King Kong!" he teased, as he wrestled the giant monster.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Besides the giant spider in front of him, there were also dozens of little spiders around him. But to any human, they were big. Spiders as big as horses.

"Alright," the Blue Ranger said, "I ain't scared of you! Now, back off!"

The spiders hissed.

The Blue Ranger prepared to fight.

He leaped into the air and used his Power Lance. Two of the spiders were killed off in one blow.

_Oh, yeah!_ the Blue Ranger thought.

A few more minutes, and the last of the spiders were gone. The last of the little spiders, that is. There was still the giant spider to deal with.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

"Dude!" the Black Ranger shouted to the Red Ranger as he held the Chimera back with the use of his Frog Zord's tongue, "Take him down while I hold him back!"

"Alright! Edmund!" the Red Ranger and the White Ranger said, simultaneously.

"The more the merrier," the Black Ranger said.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

"Braelyn!" the Blue Ranger shouted, as he tore through the massive web.

_Gross,_ he thought. But he had to rescue her. He had already done so by destroying the giant spider that guarded her coffin. But the web was a different matter. He had overcome his fear of spiders, but he was still grossed out by the giant sticky web.

He finally tore it open, completely, and he ran towards the coffin, panting. There was still one problem. The lid.

The Blue Ranger tried to pry the lid open, but it would not budge. He pushed, heaved, shoved. Nothing. The lid stuck stubbornly to the coffin.

He took his blaster from his holster and fired. No such luck.

Finally, he had one last option left. The Power Lance.

The crystal broke a little. When he tried the Power Lance a second time, however, he wasn't as lucky as the first. The Blue Ranger punched with all his might with both fists, pounding on the heavy crystal.

It cracked more. Finally, it gave way. Shards of broken crystal lay all around the coffin, and inside of it.

He picked the broken shards inside the coffin, removing them from Braelyn's body.

The Blue Ranger removed his helmet and set it down gently on the ground.

_She's so beautiful_, he mused.

He lifted her head gently with his hands and leaned in to kiss her lips.

"Hey, Sleeping Beauty," he whispered, "Time to wake up."

When he saw that she stirred, he quickly wiped his mouth before she could open her eyes.

"Peter?" Braelyn said, sitting up, "Where am I?"

"You're inside your head. You're asleep. Long story. Dad, Dr. Oliver, and I will explain to you guys, later. In the meantime, we need to get out of here."

"I second the motion," Braelyn said.

The Blue Ranger picked his helmet up, wore it, and held Braelyn's hand, squeezing it twice.

"My hero," Braelyn Oliver whispered breathily.

She had no idea how much she made the Blue Ranger blush behind his helmet.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

"Dad!" Peter said, as he embraced Billy. Braelyn did the same to Tommy. They were no longer in Braelyn's mind. They were awake.

Braelyn licked her lips.

"Why... do my lips... taste... like mint?"

Peter blushed, looked down at the floor, and shuffled his feet.

Billy cleared his throat.

Tommy chuckled.

"Dad!" Braelyn said, "Do you know something I don't?"

Tommy shrugged and chuckled.

"Where's Edmund?" Peter asked, to changed the subject.

"He's fighting the Chimera, along with Jacob and Rockford."

"Good," Peter said, "At least we know he's alive."

The Yellow Ranger put her helmet on.

"Back in action!"

And in a flash of Blue and Yellow streaks of energy, they were gone.

"May the Power protect you," Tommy breathed.

"Mazel tov!" Billy teased.

Tommy cocked an eyebrow.

"Alright!" the Black Ranger said, "They're here!"

"Go, guys!' the White Ranger said.

"All for one!" the Blue Ranger said, as he and his Wolf Zord joined in the fray.

"And one for all!" the rest of the Rangers replied, simultaneously.

"What about the Pink Ranger? She's not one of us, yet. Who's gonna pilot the Crane Zord? How are we going to form the Ninja Megazord if we're not complete?"

"I wouldn't worry about that, Rocky," Billy said, through the communicator.

"It's Rockford," the Red Ranger replied, "But...whatever."

"Why not?" the Yellow Ranger asked.

"I've got it all under control."

"Alright!" the Rangers said, simultaneously, "Way to go, Dr. Cranston!"

From out of nowhere came the Crane Zord, swooping down to help in the formation of the Ninja Megazord. Of course, the mechanical bird was on autopilot.

"Alright!" the Rangers all cheered as they formed the Ninja Megazord.

"The Crane Zord on autopilot? Who thought of this?" the White Ranger said.

"I did, actually," Billy said, "I foresaw something like this happening, and so I put autopilots on all the Zords.

"_All_ the Zords?" they could hear Tommy in the background.

"Well," Billy stammered, "I—I—I should've thought...of...sending...the...empty Zords...to...help Jacob...with...the formation of the Ninja Megazord. I guess it slipped my mind."

"Alright!" the White Ranger said, as the Ninja Megazord finished its formation, "The Power Rangers are back in business!"

And so the fight went on.

Fire for fire. Blow for blow. Monster against machine.

Finally, the Rangers were able to destroy the Chimera, and the monster exploded.

"Yeah!" the Rangers said, in unison, "Alright!"

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!" Lord Zedd screamed, as he watched the battle below, "I was _this_ close to destroying those _puny_ humans!"

"I have failed you, My Lord," Dawn said, kneeling before Zedd.

The evil overlord turned to her, lifted her chin, and made her stand.

"No, my dear. You did not fail me. They were just lucky."

"I swear, My Lord, I shall not disappoint you again. I shall crush the Power Rangers. I _will_ avenge you, My Lord."

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The kids had just come home from their first major victory as Rangers; joking, laughing, teasing. But their celebration was cut short.

It was 5:45, and the sun was about to set, glowing red on the horizon. As they walked through the woods on their way to the Olivers, they heard someone groaning and grunting. Faint, at first, but audible. Then it got louder.

"This way! I think we're close!" Jacob said, taking the lead.

Edmund came up behind Jacob, while Rockford brought up the rear.

Peter and Braelyn were between Edmund and Rockford, holding hands as they ran.

Running ahead of Jacob, Edmund now took the lead.

"I _know_ that voice!" he muttered, as he ran, out of breath.

When they got to the spot where the voice emanated from, they stopped dead in their tracks.

"Dad," Edmund said, in a weak voice, sinking to his knees.

There, at the base of a tree was the former Black Ranger; his spandex torn, a hole in his chest visible from the hole on his spandex suit, he was bleeding from the mouth, nose, ears...

Braelyn gasped, fighting tears. She covered her mouth.

Peter rubbed her back, vigorously.

"Dad," Edmund was crying now.

"Edmund," Adam said, in a weak voice, "Fulfill... your duty... and... your des..."

"Dad, don't speak."

"Desti... destiny..."

"Adam!" Tanya screamed, as she ran frantically towards her husband.

"Mom!" Edmund said, hugging her and crying on her shoulder.

"Quick," Tanya said, "Call 911!"

"Mrs. Park," Rockford said, "How—how did you know?"

"I felt it... His life force."

Moments later, Rocky, Kat, Tommy, and Billy were on the scene.

"What happened?" Tommy asked.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

"Ah," Lord Zedd sighed in satisfaction, "Nothing like a pity party to lift my spirits..."

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

"Zedd... Zedd... He... He..." Adam said, forcing himself to talk, blood spilling from his mouth.

Braelyn was now crying on Peter's shoulder.

"He tortured me... After he... used me..."

"Adam," Tommy said, "Don't talk."

The legendary Ranger knelt down and touched his friend's face. He closed his eyelids. Tanya gave out an agonized wail.

Edmund robbed his mom's back.

"Zedd'll pay for this!" he said through clenched teeth.

"No," Tommy said, "That's one of the rules of..."

"_Screw those rules!_"

"Edmund Allan Park!" Tanya scolded.

"Listen," Tommy said, "I know how you feel. I felt the same way when my best friend died. Others would call me the greatest Ranger who ever lived. But to me? He was. It felt like the light went out of my life. I wanted to destroy the enemy. All of them. But if I had, do you think we would've won?"

Edmund shook his head, vigorously.

"What killed him?" Katherine asked, her voice quivering.

Billy knelt down beside Adam.

"I'm no expert, but I think I know what killed him."

Everyone looked to the former Blue Ranger.

"A lance," Tommy said, quietly.

Peter looked shocked, and Braelyn distanced herself from him.

"No, not the Blue Ranger's Power Lance. A different one. I've seen it, myself. I've seen it before," Tommy explained.

"It's a lance that sucks the life force of its victim."

Billy touched Adam's chest. It was still hot, and Adam's chest was still glowing red.

"Depending on how long the lance stayed stuck in the victim's body, and depending on how shallow or deep the wound is..." Tommy added, but could not go on.

The wound was pretty deep.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Everyone had now left the cemetery and was headed for the Parks' house.

Peter hugged Edmund tightly.

"Thanks for being here, man," Edmund said, in a hoarse whisper.

"Don't mention it."

A few other former Rangers were at the burial. Braelyn saw Kimberly Hart, Dawn beside her. She narrowed her eyes.

"I swear I am gonna kill that—b" but Edmund stopped her.

"No, don't. That wouldn't be what Dad would've wanted us to do. He'd want us to go by the Ranger Creed. Never use the Power for personal gain. And besides, I want to honor his dying wish—that we fulfill our destiny. Even if it means turning Dawn back to the side of good. It's her destiny to become one of us. And it's our duty to make her see that."

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

_The end._


	4. Episode 4: Livewire

_Last time on Power Rangers..._

_The Pink Ranger cast a sleeping spell on our heroes, but in the end they were able to break through the spell and defeat Zedd's monster._

_But their celebration was cut short when they discovered the death of a former Ranger..._

_Stay tuned for more...on Power Rangers Neo Era..._

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Three weeks later...

Braelyn and Jacob Oliver watched as their dad poured a carton of orange juice into his cereal, and filled his cup to—literally—overflowing.

"Dad! Easy! Watch the coffee!"

Jacob ran to the kitchen and grabbed a wet cloth from the sink, cleaning up the table cloth which Tommy had managed to soil with his coffee.

The twins snickered as they watched the expression on Tommy's face when he ate his cereal and spit it out just as fast.

"Dad!" Braelyn said, "What's with you?"

But she knew what was up. It was something Tommy Oliver hadn't felt in a long time—since high school. How could she blame her dad? She knew the feeling. She had shown the same signs the day she fell in love with her ex-boyfriend Noah. Now, she was experiencing it all over again. This time, with the boy who had rescued her. He had given back all the pieces that had been broken, and he was starting to break her walls.

Jacob broke Braelyn's train of thought and said, "Yeah, Dad? What's with you? Not watching where you pour your coffee, putting orange juice on cereal instead of milk, using the lawnmower inside the house, using the vacuum on the grass? Who is it, Dad? C'mon! Tell us... Who is she?"

"Jacob Thomas Oliver!"

Tommy held up a finger.

"No, Braelyn. It's okay, sweetheart. He can interrogate me. It's fine. Alright, I confess. I'm in love."

The twins perked up.

"I'm in love with Braelyn's _new_ gymnastics coach."

The twins looked at each other.

Then, Braelyn half laughed and dropped her fork. It bounced off the plate, off the table, then fell to the floor with a clang. Her hollandaise messing up her shirt.

She fainted.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

"Dude, I am telling you—my dad is in love with Dawn's mom," Braelyn said to Rockford through gritted teeth, as they walked to class for first period.

"So? Mom says they were high school sweethearts. What's wrong with that?"

"You idiot!" Braelyn practically screamed, "That's the point! They were high school sweethearts, and she blew it big time, when she broke it off with Dad!"

"So?" Rockford said, "That was a long time ago. Don't you think she deserves a chance?"

"No, I don't!"

Everyone was looking at them, now.

Rockford opened his locker and said, "I think you're just saying that because you hate Dawn."

"She's a bitch! Now, I know who she takes after," Braelyn said, as she trudged into the classroom.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

"Cranston! Cranston! In here, now! This very minute!" Mr. McKean hollered from the confines of his comfortable personal office.

Peter gulped. _What'd I do?_ he thought.

"Cranston," Mr. McKean began, "You're the best journalism student I've ever had. And you're my _ace_ reporter. Now, tell me... What is this?"

Mr. McKean, Angel Grove High Herald's new editor-in-chief was strict. Grammar, spelling, punctuation, everything. Not only was he editor-in-chief, he was also one of Angel Grove High's History, English, and Journalism teachers.

The editor held out a copy of the Angel Grove Herald to Peter. He skimmed over the lines. _Oops!_ he thought.

"You're a genius, Cranston," Mr. McKean said, again, "You're good at English! You're good at every subject here at Angel Grove High. What happened to you? This is all covered in typographical errors!"

The editor almost swore.

Peter cringed and grinned sheepishly.

Besides the typographical errors in his article, the cutline on the photo he took read, "This is a cutline. This is a cutline. This is a cutline. This is a cutline. This is a cutline. This is a cutline. This is a cutline..."

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Edmund and Jacob sat in front of their computers, tapping away at the keyboard, and whispering from time to time, comparing notes with each other.

When suddenly...

Everyone in the room looked up at the flickering lights, and back to their computer screens. The lights flickered again, for a second or two, then went out.

So did the computers.

The room was filled with the noise of grumbling and complaining students.

"Oh, snap!" Edmund said, "Now we're never gonna be able to finish our reading responses."

"Tell me about it," Jacob said, "We've only done—what? I've only done two and a half!"

"Lucky you have two and a half. I've only done one. Then a blackout. Great."

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Bored with History class, Braelyn Oliver carved the words, _"My Prince"_ and a heart on the wooden desk with her dry, nonfunctioning pen.

She looked up when she noticed the lights flickering. Turning to Rockford, she said, "Looks like a blackout."

"Yeah, I'll say."

"Everyone, don't panic! It's only a blackout, people! Nothing to worry or be scared about," Mr. Hendricks said, trying to calm everyone down.

"Have you seen Dawn?" Braelyn asked a classmate, looking at the empty chair beside her.

"Probably in the restroom."

Rockford passed a note to Braelyn.

_I bet she has something to do with this!_

Braelyn nodded, and together with Rockford, silently slipped out, unnoticed.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

"Darn it!" Peter said, as he stood, "I haven't saved that yet!"

He removed his glasses, rubbed his eyes and the bridge of his nose, paced, then sat back down.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

"Angel Grove is experiencing a major blackout," the report on TV began, "Almost a third of the city has lost its pow—"

Shut off.

Tommy frantically contacted the team.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

_Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep!_

"Where are you guys?" Tommy said into the communicator.

"Somewhere no one can see us," came Jacob's reply.

"Good. There's a monster attacking Angel Grove, and it's sucking all of Angel Grove's power supply."

"That explains the blackouts, then," Peter said.

"And the Pink Ranger may have something to do with it."

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

"Yes! Yes!" Zedd said with a laugh, "She has something to do with this, alright!"

Dawn Hart stood beside Zedd, mustering her most wicked smile.

Her eyes glowed red.

"I bet they haven't discovered what the monster's made of yet," she said with a smirk.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

"Alright! It's Morphin time!" Jacob said, "Tigerzord!"

"Mastodon!"

"Triceratops!"

"Saber-toothed Tiger!"

"Tyrannosaurus!"

"Alright," the Black Ranger said, "Let's pull the plug on this monster!"

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Everyone was running helter-skelter, now. Pandemonium, everywhere. The monster was wreaking havoc on the city.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

In Angel Grove High, students were instructed not to touch anything metal, as metal is a good conductor of electricity.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

"Looks like somebody here left the lights on," the Yellow Ranger said, sarcastically, when they arrived at the scene.

"Come to party, Power Rangers?" the Livewire teased.

"That looks like—" the Red Ranger said, pointing at the monster.

"A generator!" the Blue Ranger added, finishing the statement.

"Yes!" the monster replied, "That's right! I'm a generator!"

The monster glowed fiery red, and sent out shockwave after shockwave of electricity. High voltage.

"Can't...hold on..." the Blue Ranger managed to say, "Feels like...I'm about...to spontaneously...combust!"

Everywhere, people were shocked with bolts of electricity emanating from the monster.

The Yellow Ranger, Black Ranger, and Red Ranger were hit with a bolt, and were already on the ground.

But the White and Blue Rangers stood firm. Amazingly—strangely, although hit by the bolt, they never seemed to be affected by it. In fact, it was as if they weren't even conductors at all.

They pushed hard against the current of electricity, and tried to fend off Zedd's monster.

The White Ranger managed to use Saba, and the Blue Ranger used his Power Lance.

The two Rangers nodded to each other.

"You think this will work?"

"It better work," the Whiter Ranger said, in answer to the Blue Ranger's question. Then, to his sword Saba, "You ready for this, partner?"

"Ready when you are, boss!" the talking sword replied.  
But before they could attack, they were hit by another bolt. This time, it sent them flying backwards, like the others.

"Too late, Power Rangers! I'm afraid it's lights out for you!"

Another bolt.

Then the Livewire vanished, white bolts of energy travelling through the wires.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Meanwhile, at Angel Grove High...

The Pink Ranger had been casting spells on students and teachers alike, when the monster arrived at Angel Grove High.

She worked on a combination of spells. Sometimes freezing the students; sometimes mimicking the powers of the Livewire; sometimes creating her own unique blasts.

The others were still out cold, but the Black, White, and Blue Rangers managed to teleport to the scene and arrived in time.

Meanwhile, the Livewire was firing at anyone and everyone in its path, electrifying lockers, knobs, and drinking fountains.

"Noah!" one student shouted, "Let's go! Run!"

Not listening to his friend, the kid stopped by a drinking fountain and drank. He was thrown a couple of feet with force by the electricity that surged through the metal and the water.

_Noah!_ the Pink Ranger wanted to scream, _Noah!_ But no sound came out.

"Noah!" she finally managed, "Are you alright?"

He was unconscious.

_Oh, God!_ the Pink Ranger thought, _What have I done?_

"You'll pay for this, Static Shock," the Pink Ranger said through gritted teeth.

Then, she fitted her bowstring to the groove of her arrow, stretched it far back, and fired.

The arrow zinged past fleeing students and almost hit the monster, if it had not vanished by slipping through an outlet.

The arrow clattered to the floor.

The three other Rangers stood there, dumbfounded.

"I thought you were one of them," the Black Ranger said, in an accusatory tone.

"I am one of them," the Pink Ranger said, coldly.

"Then what was that?" the White Ranger asked.

"The enemy of my enemy is my friend."

And with that, the Pink Ranger vanished in a flash of pink energy.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

"Dad," the White Ranger said, "How's Braelyn?"

"She's doing alright. What's the four-one-one on things?"

"She keeps evading us, Dad."

"Well?"

"But we're keeping up a good fight," the Blue Ranger put in.

"Good job, Rangers. Now, keep up a better fight."

"We certainly will, Dad," the White Ranger answered.

"How's Roc?" the Black Ranger said.

"He's doing okay. His vital signs are fine, which is a good thing."

"Alright. Good."

"Anything else?" Tommy asked.

"We're trying to calm the students down. And the paramedics are doing their job," the Black Ranger said.

"By the way, Dad," the White Ranger added, "You won't guess who _almost_ helped us, just now."

"Surprise me."

"The Pink Ranger."

"Apparently, though, she has motive."

"And that is...?"

"Dad, you know what's going on with Dawn and Brae! You've seen her cry herself to sleep," the White Ranger spat out.

"Alright, alright. Just...don't let yourselves get sidetracked, okay? Concentrate on the monster, not the Pink Ranger."

"Got it."

"Good. May the Power protect you!"

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Meanwhile, at the DeSantos residence...

Katherine Hillard-DeSantos was now on the second trimester of her pregnancy, having her and Rocky's fifth child.

She went to the kitchen to get a drink of water and to wash.

As she reached out to turn the faucet on, she was thrown back with a powerful force. She hit the floor, having lost consciousness.

But she had lost more than that in the process.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

At the Olivers...

"Alright, guys," Tommy began, "What's the update?"

"We haven't heard from the Livewire, yet..."

"She might be resting or planning her next move," Peter thought out loud.

"That's a possibility," Billy said.

"We better plan our next move, then," Jacob said.

"Which is?" came Braelyn's sarcastic response.

Jacob was silent for awhile. Braelyn raised an eyebrow.

"Just one question, though," Tommy said, directing the question at Jacob and Peter, "How did you and Peter manage to survive the Livewire's attacks since your uniform is made of armor? Braelyn and the others got hit very badly, while you guys were unscathed."

"I was actually able to block the monster's attacks with my thoughts," Peter said.

"And my shield must've absorbed its energy. No idea why."

"I think I know just why. When Zordon made me the White Ranger, he said that my powers cannot be made evil, nor could it be touched by evil. The thought just occurred to me," Tommy said, "Maybe the White Ranger's uniform is sacred. It must've absorbed the monster's energy."

"I've heard of legends like those, before," Billy interrupted, "One legend in China has it that a warrior who once wielded a sacred sword was struck by lightning, and his sword, being sacred, absorbed its energy until the blade glowed red."

All was silent.

"Guys," Jacob said, "I think we've got a plan!"

"Could it be that Saba is a sacred sword?" Braelyn asked.

"It's worth a shot, Brae. It's worth a shot."

"Alright!" Edmund said.

"Back in action!"

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

"I'm afraid it's lights out for you!" the Black Ranger said, pointing at the monster.

"Yeah!" all the other Rangers joined in, in chorus.

"Says who, Puny Rangers?"

"Says us!" the Pink Ranger said, aiming her arrow at the offending party.

"You again?" the Yellow Ranger said, "You traitor! What are you doing here?"

"Hasn't it occurred to you that we have a monster to destroy? Now get over yourself and together we can finish him off!"

"Yeah? Why? Because she hurt Noah?"

"Gals, gals, gals!" the Red Ranger said, "Enough with the drama already! Can we please just concentrate on the fighting?"

"If she's up to it," the Pink Ranger said, "I'm willing to set all that aside if she is."

"Fine!"

"That's better," the Blue Ranger said.

"Now," the White Ranger said, "We'll take you down! Isn't that right, Rangers?"

"Right!" they all answered in chorus.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The battle was long and hard, with neither party gaining the upper hand. But the Rangers fought bravely.

"I think now's a good time to put that plan of yours into action," the Yellow Ranger said to the White Ranger.

"If she attacks with electricity again. Apparently, she's saving her energy for a later—"

But whatever the White Ranger was going to say was cut off. The Pink, Blue, Yellow, Black, and Red Rangers were thrown back with a mighty force, and it was clear that they had been electrocuted. They could not move. They were being held back.

"Now, Rangers," the Livewire teased, "I shall destroy you one by one! Starting with your leader!"

The monster gave out a sickening kind of laugh.

_Alright, Jake, you can do this_, the White Ranger thought to himself.

"Are you ready for this, Saba?"

"Ready when you are, Boss," came the enchanted sword's reply. The White Ranger raised his sword high.

"Fool," the monster said, "You're going to die!"

"Not if it's a sacred sword I'm holding, no-sir-ee, Bob."

"Fool!"

The Livewire sent a bolt of electricity aimed at the Ranger. The White Ranger gripped his hilt tighter. Lowering the blade to chest level, he attempted to block the surge of electricity emanating from the monster. But instead of deflecting it, like Billy had said, it absorbed the bolt.

"Now!" the Blue Ranger shouted.

"Oh my gosh! What's he doing? He's gonna get himself killed!" the Pink Ranger said.

"Trust me. He won't."

The White Ranger lifted the blade high. Higher. Higher. The monster kept concentrating on the Ranger before her.

At first, nothing seemed to be happening. But there it was! A faint glow of pink at first. Then, it began to redden more, until it was red hot with the bolts of electricity from the monster, making not just the blade but also the surrounding area grow.

"Now, Jacob!" the Blue Ranger shouted.

With the fluid grace that he acquired through his martial arts training with his dad, he lowered his sword back to chest level, thrusted, straightening his arms, pointing the blade directly at the monster. With this move, the White Ranger channeled all the energy Saba had absorbed back to the Livewire.

"Nooooooooooooooooooo!!!"

An explosion was heard, and sparks flew, marking the end of the Livewire.

"Yes!" the Rangers all said in unison.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

"Blast those wretched Power Rangers!!!" Zedd screamed with all his might, "And blast that sorry excuse of a—a minion!"

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

At the Droid Café...

"We'll have five boxes of pizza, and five chocolate malt shakes," Rockford said to the droid who was taking their orders.

"Right away, sir," the droid responded and headed to the kitchen.

"Five?" Peter asked, "You mean to say we're gonna finish all of this? Five boxes per person? Per individual person?"

"Yeah, man," Edmund joined in, "You gotta be kidding! I can't finish a whole box."

"No," Rockford said, "We're only going to eat three boxes. We're bringing the rest to the hospital. Remember? I got a call from Dad?"

"Right. Sorry 'bout that, bro."

Edmund was suddenly quiet.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Nino's Ristorante Italiano...

"Man, Kim... It's great to see you again," Tommy said, fidgeting with his food.

Kimberly chuckled and blushed.

"It's great to see you too, Tommy," she said.

By now, she must be in her 40s, and she had lines on her face, now, but she was still as beautiful as ever.

"You're still beautiful," Tommy said.

Kimberly opened her mouth, dropped her fork, looked down, blushed, and grinned sheepishly.

_Does he still love me? Oh my God! I can't... I can't believe..._

"Thanks," she finally managed, "And you're...still...handsome."

Tommy chuckled.

"So," he added, "Tell me all about him. Mr. Wonderful-Kind-And-Caring... What's he like?"

"Tommy, please—"

"Kim, I want to know."

"His memory is painful to me!" the costumers turned to watch them, then resumed eating.

"Why? Because he left you? Some caring guy! If he was what you say he was, where is he now? Why don't I see him? He left you, didn't he? _Didn't he?_ Did he get you pregnant, leave you with a kid, then left?"

"Stop it! Thanks for ruining our date, you bastard!"

Kimberly slammed her fork down on her plate and stalked off. Everyone was looking at Tommy.

"Mind your own business, will you?"

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

"Cheers!" Peter said.

"Cheers!" the others answered and clinked their glasses together.

"Dig in, guys," Edmund said, as their order arrived.

"Oh, and I'd like to order two buckets of Buffalo wings," Rockford said. His friends' mouths dropped in shock.

"Two buckets of Buffalo wings?"

"For our hero, of course!"

They all laughed.

"Seriously though, you guys. You don't have to do this. No special treatment, okay? My victory is your victory," Jacob said.

"But still," Peter said, "You saved the day."

"Yeah!" the others said, unanimously.

"Guys, please. I insist."

"If he insists," Braelyn said, giving her twin brother a knowing look, "There's nothing we can do about it."

"Well, it would be rude to order something and not eat it. Or cancel it. We'll have the Buffalo wings, then!"

"Alright!" the others said in chorus.

"Good teamwork, guys," Jacob said.

"Oh, yeah," Peter said, "Congratulations to us!"

"To us!" they all said, raising their glasses of malt shake for a toast.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

"Kimberly, please... I—I'm sorry," Tommy said, as he approached Kimberly on the boardwalk.

"He died, you insensitive jerk!" she said, crying now.

"I'm so sorry. I am so sorry," he said.

After a pause, "Did he love you?"

Kimberly couldn't look at Tommy, but she nodded her head vigorously.

"Did you love him?"

"Tommy, please—"

"Kim, I need to know."

"Yes. Yes, I did. We were married. He was a good man. I wouldn't say he was perfect, but he was a good man. And he gave me Dawn."

"So I heard."

"Tommy, he was a gentleman. Every bit a gentleman as you. A Prince Charming. A knight in shining armor on a white steed. Maybe that's why I fell for him. He was so much like you, and we were apart...I..."

Tommy nodded.

"I...I understand. What happened?" Tommy asked, his face full of compassion.

"His brother was jealous because he wanted me. So he murdered him."

Tommy almost swore. Then, in one impulsive move, he covered Kimberly's mouth with his.

Suddenly, as if my magic—or as if on cue—the song "My Destiny" began to play in the background.

_Every mistake_

_Every wrong turn_

_Every time I lost my way...._

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

"Hey, are you guys going to the hospital with me?" Rockford asked the group.

"Yeah, sure! Of course!" they answered, simultaneously.

"Uh, you guys pay the bill," Braelyn said, "while I go wash up and powder my nose. Don't leave without me."

Jacob shook his head and wore a sarcastic smile on his face. Braelyn elbowed him.

"Girls..."

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

"Look," Braelyn said, as she finished touching up her makeup, "Just because you were concerned about Noah doesn't make you my friend. Nor does helping us make you one of us."

Dawn scoffed.

"And who says I'm one of you?"

She vanished a flash of pink and white energy.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Angel Grove Memorial Medical Center...

"Mom," Rockford said, "I'm sorry."

"It's okay, Sweetie. It's okay."

"Would you like us to sit up with you for the night, Mrs. DeSantos?" Peter said.

"No thanks. I can handle myself. I'll be safe here."

"Are you sure, Mom?"

"I'm sure, Sweetie."

"We brought you some pizza, Kat," Braelyn said.

"Why, that's sweet of you, Braelyn! Thank you."

"And flowers," Edmund said, placing the flowers on a table nearby.

"And cards," Jacob added, and they each gave their cards to Katherine.

"And balloons, too. I forgot," Rockford said.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

_I have always dreamed of this  
I'll admit that there was something I missed  
Wondering if it is for real  
Every mistake every wrong turn  
Every time I lost my way  
Led me to this  
Moment of bliss tonight_

With you, finally I can break free  
With you, it's all changing in my destiny  
Dream come true, it's so funny now that I see  
How different life turned out to be

You were always by my side  
That you believed in me was enough reason why  
I didn't stop, didn't give up  
Even if I sometimes lost hope  
I did my best, and I am blessed  
In life

With you, finally I can break free  
With you, it's all changing in my destiny dream come true, it's so funny now that I see  
How different life turned out to be yeah

Can I get any higher?  
Tell me  
Does it get any stronger?  
I owe it to you  
That I made it through  
I never could have done it without you

With you... yeah... I can break free yeah

It's all changing in my destiny  
Dream come true, its so funny now that I see  
How different life turned out to be.

I've realized that it's my destiny

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

**The End.**


	5. Episode 5: In the Belly of the Beast pt1

_Last time on....Power Rangers: Zedd had created a monster from one of Angel Grove's power plants, which caused a blackout through the whole city. Tommy and Billy, hearing of ancient legends regarding a warrior who, wielding a sacred sword absorbed lightning, devised a plan to destroy the Livewire. Using his sword Saba, Jacob absorbed the electricity from the monster until his blade glowed red with heat, and channeled all that electricity back to the Livewire._

_Stay tuned for the continuing adventures of the Neo Power Rangers!_

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

A week later...

It was a Saturday morning.

"Hey, Pete," came a familiar voice on the other line. Peter Cranston perked up and blushed to hear that voice. It warmed him every time.

"Hey, Braelyn," Peter responded a little shyly.

"Watcha doin' today?"

"I've got a paper to do on Dracula. Why?"

"Nothing. I just...thought you might wanna come over and help out."

"Now? At your place?"

"No, silly goose!" Braelyn said, with a laugh. Peter laughed, too.

"When?"

"Whenever you're available. And it's not at my place. It's at Roc's. Remember what happened to Kat?"

"Oh, yeah!"

"Well, I was thinking we could help Rockford and his siblings out. Clean the house, you know?"

"Sure, I'll come over!"

"Hey, hey, hey," Braelyn warned, "I don't want you coming over here just because I asked you to. I know how to read the male mind. Don't forget that. I've been with one of your kind. Meaning the male kind."

"No, really! I want to help out."

"Finish your homework first, though. I wouldn't want Rock feeling bad if you flunk. And me too. I'd feel bad. So finish what ya gotta do first. Okay?"

"No, really, I'm coming over!"

"Now?"

"Now."

"As in...now?"

"Yes, Brae, as in now."

"You sure?"

"Absolutely. Positive. I'm having writer's block, anyhow, so...."

"Alright," Braelyn said, smiling, "I'll see you at Rock's place?"

"I'll be there!"

"Oki-doki! I'll see you later, then. Bye!"

Neither Ranger could suppress a smile as they each hung up.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Rockford deSantos was sweeping the floor when he was startled by the buzz of the doorbell. His friends obviously had a knack for taking him by surprise. He opened the door.

"Guys! What are you doing here? I'm cleaning! Do you want my mom to—"

"Chillax! We're here to help out, okay?" Edmund said, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"Yeah. We decided we should help you guys clean up."

"Thanks, you guys, but..."

"No buts, chum," Jacob said, "All for one and one for all. Whether you like it or not, we're cleaning your house. Don't worry. We're not going to mess it up."

"But there's Fred, and Mandy, and Ally."

"There's strength in numbers," Peter said.

"Alright, alright! Fine! Fine! Just...hey, hey, hey, hey! Whoa! Whoa! Goddammit! Whoa! No shoes in the house, Ed—you know that."

"Oops," Edmund said, blushing, grinning sheepishly, and taking his shoes off. The others followed suit.

"So," Jacob said, "Where do we start? Just name it."

"Okay," Rockford said, thinking, surveying the area around him, "Ed, you go and help Fred clean everything upstairs. Jake, you know how to weed the garden? Maybe mow the lawn."

"Alright," Jacob said, nodding, "I can do that."

"Pete, you help me vacuum, take out the trash, and the dishes. Well, forget that. I'll do the dishes. Take the trash and vacuum."

"Got it!"

"What's that?" Rockford asked, as Peter pulled something out of a duffel bag.

"Oh, this? It's the TwisterVac22. Dad and I worked on it. It's not out in the market yet. We're still testing it. But..."

Here, Peter did a demonstration.

"Its suction power is so strong that it can suck and pick up anything."

"Really?"

"Watch."

Peter plugged the machine in, and turned the power on. He started vacuuming and looked for a test subject for his demonstration. Finding a figurine, he vacuumed the statuette. The machine's suction power was so great that it lifted the figurine off the end table as it stuck to the vacuum.

Everyone stared and gasped in amazement. Gently, Peter put the figurine back down and turned the power off.

"See?"

"Oh, you bet I see! When that thing's out in the market, I'll be sure as heck to convince my folks to buy that. It'd save us a lot of time."

"Absolutely! You can also use it outside. You can reverse it and it blows out air. You can use it as a leaf blower for the sidewalk."

"Cool!" Rockford said.

"Amazing," Braelyn said.

"Interesting," Jacob thought aloud.

"Smart," Edmund said.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

One hour later...

"Mom? Mom!" Rockford called, as he went upstairs, "We're done. Anything else you want us to do?"

Then the sound of a door closing. A few moments later, Rockford was back in the living room, downstairs.

"Mom says you can stay over for lunch. There's nothing more to do."

"I have another idea," Jacob said, "Why don't we _cook_ her some lunch? We guys could go out to Albertsons or Wal-Mart or Target or something, buy some ingredients, and cook her some lunch."

"I like the sound of that," Rockford said, nodding.

"I second the motion," Edmund said, raising a hand.

"Me too," Braelyn said.

"That makes four of us," Peter said.

"Good?" Jacob said, "Good. Alright then."

"I'll just go change and get the keys to the van."

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Albertsons...

Rockford found a parking space and parked the van. The others got out.

"While we're here, why don't we pick up some groceries for Kat?" Edmund suggested.

"Good thinking, Ed," Braelyn said.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

"Yes! Yes!" the evil overlord said, with a laugh, "That's it! Keep yourselves busy, you puny little Rangers! As for you, Pink Ranger, I will give you another chance. Do not fail or betray me, this time!"

"That will depend on how your brainless monster acts, this time," Dawn said, with a smirk.

"Why, you insolent little vixen!"

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Meanwhile, at the deSantos residence...

Katherine shook her head. _Either those kids are too helpful for their own good, or they left the vacuum running_, she mused, _Or maybe Ally and Mandy are messing with the vacuum again._

No sooner had she processed her thoughts than she heard a cry.

Weakly, Katherine got out of bed to check. _What could it be, now?_

"Mommy!" little Mandy deSantos screamed, half of her body already inside the giant vacuum's suction tube.

Katherine screamed. Her motherly instincts kicked in, and weak as she was, she stood poised to fight—just like in the old days.

"Don't worry, honey!" Katherine said, above the noise the monstrous vacuum made, "Mommy's gonna get you out of there! Where's Ally?"

"She got eated too!" the girl cried.

Mandy kept screaming and crying. Katherine grabbed both her arms and tried to pull but to no avail. In no time, only the girl's head was sticking out.

"Mommy!" she cried, desperately.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

"So," Braelyn said, "Do we have everything we need for the recipe?"

"Let's see," Edmund said, consulting the cookbook they had brought along with them from the deSantos residence, "Cream of mushroom?"

"Check," Braelyn said.

"Chicken breasts?"

"Check," Peter said, holding the item up.

"Asparagus?"

"Check," Rockford said.

"Carrots?"

"Oh, we don't need carrots. We have some at home."

"Right. Onion? Garlic?"

"We have those, too."

"Alright, let's go, then."

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

_C'mon, guys!_ Katherine thought, _Where are you?_

Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep!

As soon as the Rangers were outside, they dropped their grocery bags and answered the call. It was then that Rockford realized he had lost his communicator.

"Peter here!" Peter said into the communicator.

"Peter, this is Katherine! Can you read me?"

"Mom?" Rockford said.

"Loud and clear, Mrs. deSantos!"

"Mom, what's wrong?"

"A monster just attacked us! He's got Mandy and Allie!"

"Oh, my God!"

"What does he look like?"

"Zedd turned your vacuum into a monster!"

Peter shook his head.

"Alright! Don't worry, Kat! We'll take care of business," Jacob said, "It's morphin time! Tigerzord!"

"Mastodon!"

"Triceratops!"

"Saber-toothed Tiger!"

"Tyrannosaurus!"

As soon as our heroes morphed, the whole place was filled with screaming. Running. And what sounded like a running vacuum.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

There was mayhem, everywhere. People running helter-skelter in every direction. People and things being sucked into the monster vacuum. Screaming. Crying. Panic.

"Ironic, isn't it?" the Black Ranger said, "Zedd sent a vacuum to do his _dirty work_, this time?"

"Heck, yeah! Ironic, if you ask me," the Red Ranger said, with a smirk in his voice.

"Now, it's time to clean up this monster's mess," the White Ranger said.

"Alright!" the Blue Ranger said, preparing to fight.

"Let's do it!" the Yellow Ranger said.

"Not so fast, Puny Rangers," TwisterVac said. With that, the monster sent out a cloud of dust and air their way.

"Can't...see," the Black Ranger said.

"Can't...breathe," the Blue Ranger said, coughing.

"Must...hold...on," the White Ranger said, as he and the others where being pushed further and further back by the strong air current the TwisterVac was sending out.

"Must...not...lose...footing..."

All five Rangers were thrown back with the force of the air coming from the monster.

"You okay?" the Blue Ranger said, offering his hand to the Yellow Ranger. The Yellow Ranger nodded.

"Anyone hurt?" the White Ranger asked.

"No, we're fine," the Rangers answered in chorus.

"You can't keep a good Ranger down, sucker!" the White Ranger said.

"Yeah!" the other Rangers agreed.

"Says who?" the Pink Ranger said, joining the fray and taking the monster's side, as usual.

"Says us!"

They charged with their weapons, and the fight went on. Blow for blow, kick for kick. Punch for punch. Neither side gained the upper hand.

"Go!" the evil Pink Ranger hollered, "Take care of the crowd! I'll clean up this mess..."

She was grinning behind that helmet.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

"You again?" the Yellow and Blue Rangers said, in unison.

"Yes, it's me! Got a problem?"

"Big problem," the Yellow Ranger said, sarcastically.

"You know we don't want to fight you," the Black Ranger said.

"Yeah," the Red Ranger said, "Don't make us."

"We're getting rather tired of this game," the White Ranger said.

"Well, I'm not!"

The Pink Ranger aimed her Power Bow at the Yellow Ranger, drew the string, and then released. Just as the arrow was about to hit the Yellow Ranger, the Blue Ranger got in the way.

"Over my dead body, _bitch!_"

That was the first time they had heard the Blue Ranger swear. He was never known to. The Pink Ranger's arrow hit the Blue Ranger, sending him reeling backwards. The White and Yellow Rangers rushed to his side.

"You alright?" the White Ranger said.

"I'm fine. It's Brae I'm worried about," the Blue Ranger said, looking over at the Yellow Ranger.

"I'm fine," she said. The Blue Ranger had no idea how much she was blushing behind that helmet.

"Aaawww! Ain't that cute?" the Pink Ranger said, sarcastically, aiming another arrow at the Yellow Ranger.

Getting up, the Blue Ranger said, "Hurt her and I swear to Dulcea _I will kill you!_"

The others rallied to the Blue Ranger, forming a protective semicircle around the Yellow Ranger.

"Guys, what about the civilians?" the Black Ranger said.

"You're right," the White Ranger said, "Split up! Brae, Ed, Rock, you guys go on ahead and protect the civilians. Pete and I will be dealing with this vixen."

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

"Stop!" the Black Ranger said to the monster, "You stop immediately!" There were fewer civilians around the area now than there was awhile ago. It only meant one thing. The monster had to be stopped.

"Let the experts do the cleaning!" the Red Ranger said, sarcastically.

"I don't think so, Rangers!" the TwisterVac sent out another whirling air current their way. Some civilians stumbled back and fell, along with the three other Rangers, and the monster reversed its action. From blowing, it reverted back to sucking, eating everything it's path.

The monster had one target: the Yellow Ranger.

"Stop! Take me! Don't take her!" It was a familiar voice. Noah. Still in crutches due to his injuries, he attacked the monster with his crutches.

The Rangers stopped. Either the kid was trying to be a hero or he was stupid. Both Yellow and Pink Rangers thought it was the latter.

"No!" the Pink Ranger screamed. But it was too late. He was now in the belly of the beast.

"That's it!" the Blue Ranger shouted, "Enough is enough! I feel bad destroying my own creation, but you leave me no choice!"

The Blue Ranger looked at the White Ranger and he nodded.

"Triceratops Dinozord power!"

"Tyrannosaurus Dinozord power!"

"Mastodon Dinozord power!"

"Saber-toothed Tiger Dinozord power!"

"Tigerzord! Power up!" the White Ranger said, summoning his Zord with Sabba's help. The machine came to life with a mighty roar.

"Alright!" the other Rangers said. They were waiting for someone else. She came last.

"Pterodactyl Dinozord power!"

"Oh, yeah?" the monster said, "Two can play at this game!" Zedd made it grow.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

"Tyrannosaurus; locked and loaded!"

"Saber-tooth Tiger; online!"

"Mastodon; back in action!"

"Triceratops; ready to rock!"

"Pterodactyl; flyin' high!"

"Alright! Let's do this! You ready, Saba? White tiger Thunderzord, hyper-speed, now! Tigerzord, convert to Warrior mode, now!"

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Meanwhile, all over Angel Grove, someone was either missing or couldn't breathe. Those who were missing were inside the monstrous vacuum. Or "in the belly of the beast" as Rockford deSantos jokingly put it.

And for those who were out of air, it was because the monster was sucking all the oxygen in the atmosphere with its huge suction tube.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

"What's he doing?" the Pink Ranger asked.

"Uh-oh! Looks like I've seen this one from a movie, before," the Red Ranger said.

"Space Balls!" the Blue, Red, and Black Rangers said, simultaneously.

"He's sucking the oxygen from the atmosphere!" the Blue Ranger said.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

"Yes! Yes, my little monster! That's it!" Zedd mused, with a growl, as he watched from his lunar citadel, "Destroy those puny little Earthlings!"

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Back on Earth…

"All for one," the White Ranger said.

"And one for all!" the other Rangers responded, except for the Pink Ranger.

All for one and one for all had now been established as the new Rangers official motto. And as one, they charged. They faced this newest challenge. And as one, they would bring the monster down. Whatever it takes.

The battle raged on. Machine against machine. Two against one. But the gigantic vacuum was strong.

The White Ranger screamed for help. Attached to one of the TwisterVac's suction tubes was the magnificent Tigerzord. The vacuum was so strong that the Tigerzord stuck to the suction tube like it was the prey of a gargantuan octopus. The TwisterVac raised its flexible suction tubes in the air and spun around and around. When it finally released the Tigerzord, it flung it across towards the Megazord, causing both machines to tumble and topple over.

Just when they thought it was all over, the TwisterVac reversed its action and switched from suction to blowing. It was as if a category five hurricane swept through Angel Grove. The Tigerzord and the newly-rebuilt Megazord was being swept along.

"How do we destroy this behemoth?" the Blue Ranger said, with a grunt.

"Behemoth?" the Black Ranger asked.

"It means monster. Beast. Giant."

"You should have just said giant."

"Okay. Okay. Cool it! We need to think." The White Ranger said.

"Think? There is no time to think!" the Yellow Ranger retorted.

"Maybe there's a way to destroy it from the _inside_ instead of out?" the Black Ranger suggested.

"Bingo!" the Blue Ranger said, with a snap of his fingers, "I made that thing! I should be the one to destroy it! I know the mechanism! I can destroy it…from…the inside."

"I'm coming with you," the Pink Ranger said, with a nod.

"Me too," the Yellow Ranger said.

"Alright! Let's do it!"

The three leaped out of the Megazord and into the belly of the beast.

To be continued…

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

**Author's Notes:** Sorry for the long delay. I couldn't find the USB I use to store all my fanfics in. Anyways, happy reading! And review!


	6. Episode 6: In the Belly of the Beast pt2

**Author's Notes:** Not sure if anyone still reads this fic. Sorry if I haven't updated in a long time. I lost inspiration. And I was busy with school. But mostly it's because I lost inspiration. I patterned Braelyn after my girlfriend (now my ex), and I patterned Peter after me. Edmund was patterned after two people. My best friend and my ex's best friend. The inspiration for Rockford was also my ex's best friend. And my inspiration for Kimberly's daughter Dawn was a "friend" of ours who tried to steal me once. Then dated my ex's best friend. Then my best friend. And a bunch of other guys. And in case I haven't mentioned, Noah was patterned after my ex-girlfriend's ex-boyfriend. So yeah. After we broke up, I lost inspiration. I may actually have Braelyn and Peter date after this, have them date all through the rest of season one, then have them break up in season two. Another reason I lost inspiration was because of "Edmund." See, as I've mentioned earlier, he was patterned after my best friend. And he died of pancreatic cancer. So I lost yet another inspiration. But now I'm back in business! So read on and review!

The inside of the giant vacuum was very dark. It sucked out even light. The Rangers couldn't see a thing. But once they had let their eyes adjust to the darkness, it wasn't too difficult to navigate through the giant vacuum.

"Watch out for the wires," the Blue Ranger warned, as the two other Rangers tried to navigate their way and tried to see what they can find. Some weak spot. Some wires they could cut.

"Leave the wires to me," the Blue Ranger said, "I'll take care of those! You take care of the people. Look for some opening and lead them to safety."

"Alright," the Pink and Yellow Rangers said, in unison.

* * *

_Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep!_

"Edmund here," the Black Ranger said, speaking into the communicator.

"Edmund, this is Dr. Oliver," Tommy's voice came, "Is everyone alright?"

"I hope so."

"What do you mean you hope so?"

"Dad," the White Ranger said, "Peter, Braelyn, and Dawn went to destroy the monster. From inside."

"Inside," Tommy said, more of a statement than a question.

"How long have they been in there?"

"About six, seven minutes."

"And you didn't tell us this? Why?" Billy interrupted.

"It was actually 'Plan B.' Not the original plan. It was more like spur-of-the-moment. We had to decide. It's critical. It's people's lives were dealing with here."

"Alright, alright!" Tommy said, "You got the message across."

"Affirmative. But just remember," Billy added, "good luck. And may the Power protect you!"

"Alright," the White Ranger said, "Back to business."

Whether it was will or luck, they didn't know. But they sure were glad they had the Megazord up and running again. The Rangers cheered.

* * *

Back at Zedd's lunar citadel…

"Curse those blasted Power Rangers! How in blazes did they get inside my monster?! Goldar! Rito! Make sure they _do not_ escape!"

* * *

Inside the TwisterVac, the Blue Ranger was still busy figuring which wires would do it and which ones would not, while the girls had now gotten all the monster's victims to safety. There was only one question left now. How do they get out? Suddenly, the Pink Ranger thought of something. Maybe their blasters might work. It was worth a shot. She pulled hers out and so did the Yellow Ranger.

"Where still enemies _after this_," the Pink Ranger whispered menacingly.

"Who _cares_? Listen!" the Yellow Ranger replied, "Can't we just concentrate on getting these people out? And getting out, ourselves! I'm feeling claustrophobic in here!"

"On my count," the Pink Ranger whispered, "One? Two?"

A collision shook them. They knew the Megazord was up again. And the monster was fighting. They felt it. The Blue Ranger almost cut the wrong wire by mistake.

"Again! One? Two?"

"_THREE!!!_" they shouted at the same, exact time and fired their blasters.

"Again! On three! One! Two! Three!"

The blasts from their weapons lit up the inside of the giant vacuum. The material it was made of was giving way. Meanwhile, frustrated, the Blue Ranger took his lance and hacked anywhere and anything he could hack. There were sparks. Then an explosion. More sparks. Another explosion. And another. Then a fourth. Explosion after explosion rocked the monstrous machine and all that was in it. Before another explosion could go off, the Yellow and Pink Rangers fired away once more. This time, with the Blue Ranger's help.

"One? Two?" the Blue Ranger said, "Three. Kick it!" Their blasters had formed a sort of archway. It glowed red with heat. It took only one kick from all three Rangers to make a hole big enough for the people to get out of. Another explosion.

"Let's go! Let's go! Let's go! Let's go!" the Blue Ranger said, ushering the people out.

Another explosion rocked the monster. They had already gotten the last of the people out before it had occurred. All three Rangers teleported out of the giant vacuum and back into the cockpit of the Megazord.

"Guys!" the Black Ranger said, "You have no idea—you have no idea…. Oh, thank God you're alive!"

"We're alive, alright," the Yellow Ranger said, "But I was feeling a bit claustrophobic in there. Now… Back in action!"

"I couldn't have said it any better myself, sis," the White Ranger said, "All for one!"

"And one for all!" the others answered, "Power Rangers!"

The monster was now weak. All it took was a couple of blows from the Megazord. The thing exploded, and it shook the ground with its explosion. The Rangers all cheered. But their celebration was short-lived.

"Um, guys?" the Blue Ranger said, tapping the White and Red Rangers' shoulders and pointing at a giant ape-like creature. Beside it was a skeleton wearing an army helmet and painted in camouflage. Rito Revolto and Goldar.

* * *

Back at the Oliver basement…

_Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep!_

"Tommy here."

"Mayday! Mayday! Need backup!"

"This is Rocky. We read you loud and clear, Ranger!"

"What's going on out there?" Kat said.

"We have company!"

"Company? Zedd sent another monster?" Tommy said.

"Monsters!"

"Multiple? How many?"

"Two! Dad, we can't face these guys head-on! The Megazord is just starting to recover from the blow it had earlier. It's not that strong enough yet."

"We're on our way, Jacob. Hang on!" Tanya said. Billy took out their Zeonizers, which he had the good sense to repair and gave it to them.

"I hoped to God and Zordon that the day won't come when we'll have to use these again. But apparently, that day has come. And now, we do all that we can to save mankind once again. It's morphin time!"

"Zeo Ranger I, Pink!" Kat shouted and morphed.

"Zeo Ranger II, Yellow!"

"Zeo Ranger III, Blue!"

"Zeo Ranger IV, Green!" Billy said, who had stepped in and filled the late Adam Park's shoes.

"Zeo Ranger V, Red!"

* * *

"You thought you could get rid of us, _alien scum_?" the Red Zeo Ranger taunted Goldar and his companion.

"Well, guess again," the Green Zeo Ranger said. The others cheered.

"Alright! Dad! You guys made it!" the White Ranger exclaimed. The battle raged. Monster against machine. Neither side would give up.

"Let's finish these guys," the Blue Ranger said.

"Alright!" the others said. It wasn't much of a struggle. They defeated Rito and Goldar and had, once more, foiled Zedd and his evil plans.

* * *

_Zedd's Citadel…_

"You sorry excuse of a minion!" Zedd spat angrily. Dawn spat on the evil overlord's face.

"If your stupid little monsters hadn't _messed up_ I wouldn't have joined those blasted Rangers in the first place!"

Zedd tightened his grip on the girl's jaw.

"You must not let your feelings for the puny human to interfere with your duties as my servant!" Dawn tried to free herself from Zedd's grasp and snapped like an angry dog, almost nipping his hand. Angry, Zedd ordered the poor girl to be thrown into a cell and guarded. But before locking her cell, he ordered her to be manacled—the same manacles that had been used to restrain Adam. If she struggled, her motions would activate the belt at her waist and send out electrical impulses through her body, giving her a shock.

Unfortunately, she moved, trying to get out of her restraints. A bolt of electricity shot through her. She let out a scream.

* * *

_DeSantos Residence, that afternoon…_

The Rangers were celebrating their victory at Rocky and Katherine's. Both old and new Rangers were there. Tommy. Kat. Billy. Rocky. Tanya. The Oliver twins. Peter. Edmund. Rocko. Everyone was laughing, talking, drinking, and eating. The adults were in the living room playing cards—real cards. The teenagers were upstairs playing Uno. Suddenly, Braelyn's phone went off. It was a text message.

"Where are you going?" Jacob said, surprised.

"Um… I'm supposed to meet a friend."

"Sure. Let me drive you over there," Jacob offered.

"Jake, please."

"And just who might this 'friend' be?" Jacob said, sounding protective of her.

"Just…please. Let me handle this myself."

"I'll go with her," Peter said, getting up.

"Pete. No."

"For moral support." Somehow, there was a tone in Peter's voice that made Braelyn reconsider. And she felt comfort. She knew Peter would always be there for her. Her Night-in-Shining-Armor. Her Prince Charming. The boy she fell in love with. Who made her believe in a second chance when it came to love. The guy who proved to her that not all guys were like her ex.

"So you let him come with you and not me?" a hurt Jacob Oliver said.

"Yeah," Rockford put in, "What's that about?"

"Jake, that's because I know you. And you too, Rock. You're both protective of me. You just might start a fight. Please. I want peace and quiet, you two. No dramas."

* * *

_Angel Grove Pier…_

_If you only knew  
I'm hanging by a thread  
The web I spin for you  
If you only knew  
I'd sacrifice my beating  
Heart before I lose you_

"You're lucky I was in a talking mood when I got your text," Braelyn said, coldly.

"Thanks for com—"

"What were you gonna say?"

"I'm sorry. I love you," Noah said, pleadingly, "Please! Brae, listen to me." She just wouldn't listen.

"You've said all you wanted to say, and I've heard it all. Now if you please? I still have mountain-loads of homework to do." Braelyn walked away, wiping the tears she did not want to show Noah.

_I still hold onto the letters  
You returned  
I swear I've lived and learned_

When she got back in the car, Peter immediately hugged her and let her cry on his shoulder. He didn't mind his shirt getting wet. He didn't care. He only cared about Braelyn. He wanted to punch Noah's lights out.

* * *

_It's 4:03 and I can't sleep  
Without you next to me I  
Toss and turn like the sea  
If I drown tonight, bring me  
Back to life  
Breathe your breath in me  
The only thing that I still believe  
In is you, if you only knew_

Noah couldn't sleep. His clock read 4:03. He called Braelyn. Knowing her, she would still be awake. He knew she was conflicted. Or at least he assumed she was. No answer. He hung up and went over to his desk. He pulled out his journal and started writing.

_If I drown tonight, bring me back to life…breathe your breath in me. The only think I still believe in is you. _If_ you only knew. _

_Braelyn…I love you._

_If you only knew  
How many times I counted  
All the words that went wrong  
If you only knew  
How I refuse to let you go,  
Even when you're gone  
I don't regret any days I  
Spent, nights we shared,  
Or letters that I sent_

_It's 4:03 and I can't sleep  
Without you next to me I  
Toss and turn like the sea  
If I drown tonight, bring me  
Back to life  
Breathe your breath in me  
The only thing that I still believe  
In is you, if you only knew_

* * *

_If you only knew  
I still hold onto the letters  
You returned  
You help me live and learn_

Braelyn ignored Noah's calls. He turned her phone off. Then, she pulled open the drawer on her bedside table and turned on her lamp. She pulled out old pictures of her and Noah. They were taken last year when they were high school freshmen. Back when they were still dating. She pulled out all the letters she saved. All the letters and notes he'd written to her. Letters and notes she'd returned. Together with the pictures, she ripped them all.

_It's 4:03 and I can't sleep  
Without you next to me I  
Toss and turn like the sea  
If I drown tonight, bring me  
Back to life  
Breathe your breath in me  
The only thing that I still believe  
In is you, believe in is you  
I still believe in you  
Oh, if you only knew_

* * *

_Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep!_

_Yes, Dr. Oliver?_ Peter thought groggily. "Peter here."

There was some crying on the other line. Someone sobbing. Braelyn.

"Braelyn? Are you alright?" Peter said, his voice laced with concern, "Where are you? I'll come get you." He was wide awake now.

"No. I'm coming over there."

Before Braelyn left for Peter's, she turned on her phone and returned Noah's call. Noah picked up at the first ring. There was hope in his voice. He was happy to hear her. As though he were expecting something. Something good.

Braelyn's voice was still weak and raspy from crying, but now she composed herself and her voice was steadily becoming firmer.

"It's all over, Noah. It's over. Goodbye."

Peter was outside, waiting for Braelyn. He spotted her and ran to her. Instinctively, he wrapped his arms around her in a loving embrace. There was no need for words. She was hurting. Peter couldn't think of anything to say to ease her pain. But he promised he would be there. For her. Even if there was nothing to say. A touch. An embrace. Crying with her. All those were as potent as words. He gently led her to the front porch of their house. And there, on the steps they sat. Braelyn looped an arm around Peter's waist and lay her head on his shoulder. She cried again. But she knew she could rely on him for comfort. For strength.

_It's 4:03 and I can't sleep  
Without you next to me I  
Toss and turn like the sea  
If I drown tonight, bring me  
Back to life  
Breathe your breath in me  
The only thing that I still believe  
In is you, if you only knew_

_The End._

**Additional author's notes:** Dramatic, huh? Lol. I try to put in some drama for effect. So you get to know the characters better. Like they do on Smallville and other shows. This will be a more mature version of PR with drama between the teens and the adults.


End file.
